Sam Fender has donated the full amount of his £25,000 honor cash to the Music Venues Trust, which operates to save the UK's small live music spots.
Fender was given the cheque on October 16 as his third album the album was declared the outstanding release of the past year.
He has opted to donate the funds to the MVT, in acknowledgment of the essential function small stages fulfilled in his early career.
"As an artist would not have achieved my current career if it wasn't for all the performances I performed around the North East, and further afield, when I was beginning," remarked Fender. "These locations are legendary, but they are facing challenges."
Since the start of 2023, at least 150 of these venues have shut down – about 16% of the total UK scene.
In the last year, major artists such as Pulp, Coldplay, Katy Perry and Ed Sheeran have all aided the Music Venues Trust in its initiatives to help venues survive, by applying a modest fee to their ticket costs, which benefits independent venues.
Sam Fender also joined in, collecting more than £100,000 on his 2024 arena tour to assist numerous local spots across England, Scotland, and Wales.
These funds supported venues that were dealing with possible closure due to issues arising from flooding, fire incidents and bereavements, as well as licensing issues, legal disputes and neighbor objections.
Other venues received funding support in improving infrastructure and sound and lighting systems that directly benefitted artists and fans.
"The concept that revenue from performances in major spaces supports the smaller venues, where it all starts for performers like me, is just sensible," Sam Fender has said.
He is far from the only musician to contribute his Mercury Prize prize money to charitable organizations.
When Pulp won the trophy in the year 1996 for their album their work, frontman the singer announced that the act would give their winnings to the organization War Child.
That year, musician she split her prize across a few good causes, like the NSPCC and a Sickle Cell charity.
"Additionally, I contributed a £1,000 to Highgate Newtown, to their gymnastics program, because I did gymnastics when I was younger and they needed better apparatus," the artist shared with a publication.
Two years ago, Ezra Collective gave their funds to the youth organization that developed their act, alongside other grassroots music organisations.
Also the 1994 recipients M People donated their winnings to a multiple sclerosis charity after a friend was found to have the disease.
"Winning was sufficient," remarked vocalist Heather Small. "The cash was the bonus but we could do without the extra, because we had the main prize. So our victory affected somebody else's life."
Recently, the Music Venues Trust revealed it had rescued several grassroots venues in the South East, by bringing them into local control.
The Joiners in the city and the other in Bristol were purchased under the public acquisition scheme, which is backed by Arts Council England and enthusiasts who acquire "shares" in the buildings.
